The Grand Final!
Despite being at war with half of Europe, mid 1484 was a quiet period. Apart from an attack from the entire Spanish navy outside Albania on the Venetian’s main navy (which was beaten off after a 2 month battle with even numbers from each side), things were going quietly. The sieges in Naples and Apulia were enforced. In September, an automatic WP had been secured with Poland and its allies due to inactivity, the first triumph in what seemed to be a neverending conflict.
Another triumph came in October as France DoWed bad boy England (38.5/34bb), relieving that pressure from us. That still didn’t help with the 15k English in Ragusa, or the Hungarian hordes, or the Spanish alliance, but at lest it was something.
1485 saw Naples and Apulia being turned over to Venetian control, while evil hordes of Hungarians overran Steiermark, who promptly moved on to Istria. The Venetians thought a peace could be brokered with Naples. However after searching around, we discovered that they also held the former Moorish stronghold of Granada, which could be a definite problem, in the heart of Spanish territory and over months worth of water. It would have to be left for now, with the Pope still subjecting Rome, Marche and Siena to his sinister rule.
The start of 1486 saw the Pope extend his evil rule to the northern province of Emilia, right to the Po River. It would be a bittersweet victory for him, since in April his home province flew the Venetian flag! Take that!
Despite the great victory it was, Papal and Spanish troops had flooded back into Naples in a pathetic attempt to free their evil ally from benevolent Venetian rule….
Luckily the Venetian provinces were only minimal forts, so forces were spread out in an attempt to bring Papal States into submission and knock out 12k there and then.
In August, Agostino Barbango ascended to the head of the council, and was an able vice-ruler, the best in 30 years. Surely this was a good omen. Also, upon hearing the good news, Tirol and Bavaria rallied to the cause, sieging Marche. This freed up an army, allowing for Venice to send a strike force south to Naples to annoy the Papal army, which was making much too good progress besieging the Venetian defences there.
It would prove a costly battle, with Venice losing over half of their army, but the Pope’s minions were no longer able to siege the fort, so mission accomplished! As well as this battle, in September 1486, Emilia was sieged back into Venetian hands.
By now, having been without control of their mainland for a year, Naples was getting desperate, offering 425 ducats and Apulia from their alliance to our alliance. Despite 30k Spanish in Apulia threatening, the Venetian council opted to decline, sighting that too much had been lost to settle for such small gains.
Not good enough!
December saw Marche being sieged by allies to Venetian control, Istria fall to 35k Hungarians, which ten seemed happy to sit in Steiermark, and France peace England taking Bretagne and Holland after crossing the Channel (England’s continental empire consisted of a number of provinces).
1486 ended up being the big turning point. The Pope was all but stripped of its holdings, while it was the first time I was really able to go on the offensive in central Italy.
o
